Fewer Americans want to study in China. Both countries want to fix that, ‘a lot of trust has been broken’

Some young Americans are discouraged from investing their time in China by what they see as diminishing economic opportunities and strained relations

About 700 American students are studying at Chinese universities, down from a peak of 25,000 a decade ago, while there are 300,000 Chinese students at US schools

Reading Time:5 minutes

Fewer US students are studying in China. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 9:43am, 14 Apr 2024

Stephen Garrett, a 27-year-old graduate student, always thought he would study in China, but the country’s restrictive Covid-19 policies made it nearly impossible, and now he sees interest among fellow scholars wane even after China reopened.

Common concerns, he said, include restrictions on academic freedom and the risk of being stranded in China.

These days, only about 700 American students are studying at Chinese universities, down from a peak of close to 25,000 a decade ago, while there are nearly 300,000 Chinese students at US schools.

Some young Americans are discouraged from investing their time in China by what they see as diminishing economic opportunities and strained relations between Washington and Beijing.

Whatever the reason for the imbalance, US officials and scholars bemoan the lost opportunities for young people to experience life in China and gain insight into a formidable American adversary.

And officials from both countries agree that more should be done to encourage the student exchanges, at a time when Beijing and Washington can hardly agree on anything else.